Van geval tot geval met als metgezel net getal *

Summary In this lecture the promoter of the Netherlands Statistical Union presents some thoughts about “facts and figures”, as considered by the statistician. All people have to do with facts, important, remarkable, funny or whatever they may be. People meet also figures, small, great or peculiar. But the statistician has to look at facts and figures in combination. Facts to be expressed typically in figures and figures to be used in forecasting future. The combination of knowledge about facts by figures contains important possibilities, but also some danger. The above is demonstrated in a great number of practical applications.